The Heritage and Humanity of Russell Wilson

Wilson, class of 2007, shared the Altria Theater stage with an academic superstar, the venerable Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr., the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University.

For almost two hours during the dialogue entitled “The Roots of a Champion,” Dr. Gates revealed his exhaustive research about Wilson’s family tree that at some times evoked subdued emotion and at others elicited exclamations such as “Wow!” and “Amazing!”

Wilson learned, for example, that his lineage includes slaves, two of whom were listed on a ledger as livestock at a price of $1,000.

He learned that others were free blacks and whites, British royalty, and even Saint Arnulf, the bishop of Metz.

He learned that his great-great-great-great grandmother Charity Southgate was a slave born to a white woman and, at 18 (in 1824) sued for her (and her family’s) freedom, which a judge ultimately granted 23 years later.

He learned that his maternal grandfather was a distinguished artist.

He learned that several of his ancestors (surname Turner) were likely witness to the execution of Nat Turner (apparently no relation) in Jerusalem, VA, in Southampton County in 1831.

And he learned that his total ancestral strain is 62 percent African (27 percent of which is Cameroonian/Congolese), 36 percent European, one percent West Asian, and one percent Native American.

“Truth is stranger than fiction.  You can’t make this stuff up,” Dr. Gates said at one point.
    
As he concluded, he told Wilson, “You have a fascinating, fascinating family tree.”
    
Throughout the evening, which included much good-natured repartee and a couple of fist-bumps between Wilson and Dr. Gates as well as serious, reflective moments, Wilson spoke of the abiding influence of his parents Tammy, who was in the audience, and Harrison, who passed away in 2010.

He recalled his father pushing him to be the best he could be and his mother providing an unwavering, spiritual presence.

“My parents never raised me on race,” he acknowledged.  “It was about what’s inside.”

When he’s in the huddle with his Seattle Seahawks teammates, he added, race, religion, and socio-economic background are irrelevant.  What matters is the shared commitment to excellence.

Dr. Gates responded that such an approach is a metaphor for life.

“Don’t stereotype,” he said.  “Judge on character.”

Wilson spoke of his own Christian faith: Be open and sensitive to all types of people.  Focus on the person within. Walk in love.

While Wilson attended Collegiate for 13 years and graced its athletic venues like none other, most of today’s students know him only as a football superstar and a celebrity.

A half-hour before his presentation, he entered The Richmond Forum Student Room accompanied by Ciara and shared 20 minutes with a large contingent which was on hand to meet him and absorb his every word.

No longer a face on the television screen, he was relaxed, smiling, joking, and just another Cougar.

He accepted a memento of his visit from junior Ah’rea Jones. He signed a commemorative Golden Football, presented by the National Football League to the high schools of each Super Bowl participant for the past 50 years. Will Allocca, a senior and part of Collegiate’s quarterback lineage, did the honors.

He recalled attending the Forum while at Collegiate and being inspired by the words of Cal Ripkin Jr., the Baltimore Orioles’ Hall of Fame infielder.

“It expanded my vision,” he said.  “There’s always the bigger picture.  I started focusing on the idea of hard work, of taking things seriously.  I didn’t want to be the best in the world at just sports, but also really expand my options and give myself the best chance to be successful in life.  That was a reality check.”

He spoke of success.

“Everybody defines success in a different way,” he said. “Whenever I step on the field, it’s all about winning, and winning the right way.  A sustained, consistent, positive approach to the game was a big head start for me. My dad used to say it’s all about that little hash mark between the day you’re born and the day you die.  You measure success by all the people you were able to affect.”

He spoke of the challenges of celebrity.

“I surround myself with the core people who understand my vision, who understand what I really want in life,” he said.  “At the end of the day, that’s all that really matters.”

He spoke of his relationship with his parents.

 “My parents always encouraged me,” he said.  “(They taught) the power of words.  What you say, what you believe…that will come true, most of the time.  They let me have my own vision.  It wasn’t just theirs.”

The takeaways were many.

Russell Wilson isn’t just a football player, our students learned. They saw a piece of his life, up close and personal. They gained an understanding of his inspiration, his innermost thoughts. They learned that heritage and legacy are truly important, but self-motivation is the attribute that defines him. Through Dr. Gates’ probing, scholarly questions, he revealed his humanity, his humility.  

Afterwards, his mom was beaming. No surprise there. His dad, no doubt, would be ever so proud as well
                           -- Weldon Bradshaw

(Photo credit: The Richmond Forum, P. Kevin Morley)
(Saturday night’s program will air on WCVE at 9 p.m., April 14.)